Certificate & Degree Programs

The Professional Certificate in Visual Storytelling, Certificate in Collaborative Filmmaking and the Low-residency MFA programs at MMC are for artists interested in engaging in a rigorous educational experience in the media arts fields of photography, filmmaking, and multimedia.

Workshops

Hundreds of workshops are offered each year in every aspect of photography and filmmaking, as well as selected courses in writing and book arts. Classes are from Beginner to Master levels, and range from 1 week Workshops to 10 and 12 + Week Intensives.

Life at Maine Media

Students, instructors, faculty and staff mix, mingle, eat and exchange ideas together on MMW+C's 20-acre campus, which is within walking distance to the iconic coastal village of Rockport. Beyond that is Maine’s spectacular MidCoast region, encompassing harbors, ocean, mountains and beautiful natural landscapes.

Events

MFA Student Handbook

190.120 – Mentored Projects

POLICYThe majority of credits a Candidate earns are through mentored projects. A Mentored Project for studio or academic credit is closely supervised by a mentor selected by a Candidate.

PROCEDUREStudents must earn a minimum of 39 graduate credits by successfully completing mentored studio/creative projects. Individual mentored studio/creative projects are typically six credits, although students may elect to undertake three-credit projects when most appropriate as agreed to by students’ advisors. In order to meet federal guidelines for time on task (45 hours per credit), and given the length of our semesters (approximately 21 weeks), students must spend at minimum 14 hours per week on six-credit projects, including time spent in critique with project mentors. Students should expect to confer with project mentors, at minimum, ten hours over the course of the semester.

Students must earn a minimum of 15 graduate credits by successfully completing mentored academic projects. Academic projects are mentored by MFA core faculty members. Individual mentored academic projects are almost always three-credit projects. Students must spend, at minimum, a total of 135 hours on task, including at least five hours conferring with project mentors, over the course of the semester. Other requirements and procedures related to mentored projects are discussed in “Awarding of Credits” and in Guidelines and “Additional Procedures for Mentored Projects”.

Mentors for studio projects may be Maine Media College faculty or qualified individuals who have been approved by the MFA Committee. When choosing a mentor who has not previously been approved by the MFA Committee it is the obligation of a Candidate to have the Mentor submit a CV for approval by the MFA Committee. Mentors for academic projects must be MFA faculty members. A Candidate must complete a Project Proposal form for each Mentored Project indicating the scope and nature of the project.

Mentors provide creative guidance and instruction, critical feedback and procedural advice on the project. Mentors write mid-term and final project evaluations. Other recommendations for project mentors are included in a letter sent to them by the Chair of the MFA Committee. A copy of the letter is in the 250.000 APPENDICES section.

On some projects a Candidate may wish to have more than one mentor. It is common for a Candidate to choose two mentors for the Thesis Project, one mentor for the studio work and another for the written work. A Candidate must list all mentors on the Project Proposal form with the percentage of the mentor fee due to each based on the relative amounts of work each does. In the event that a Candidate’s advisor is a Mentor on a project, another member of the MFA Committee acts as a Candidate’s advisor on that specific project.

We provide lifelong learning opportunities for those pursuing the fine arts and media-related professions. We are committed to fostering a diverse community that values creativity, respects culture, and seeks to deepen human understanding and expand communication in the world.

Maine Media Workshops + College, a registered tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or transgender status, marital status, religion, creed, ancestry, national and ethnic origin, veteran's status, physical, mental handicap or other legally protected classification in any of its policies or procedures – including but not limited to those related to admission, employment, advancement, the provision of educational services, and the granting of financial aid – or in its services, facilities, privileges or benefits in compliance with and to the limits of applicable state and federal laws.